


One Night, Many Stars

by DragonladyNatz, SantaManana



Category: Samurai of Hyuga (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: Fire Emblem Style Epilogues, Future Fic, Happy Ending, In this Hyuga we can have nice things dammit, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-24 03:22:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 2,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20900834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonladyNatz/pseuds/DragonladyNatz, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SantaManana/pseuds/SantaManana
Summary: The ronin's journey may have been foreseen by the Emperor but that doesn't mean they can't choose their own ending.  Only Time, and you, can tell of the Hero of Hyuga's legend.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> As always, disclaimer: Samurai of Hyuga and all characters except OCs belong to Devon Connell.
> 
> Though some endings do have gendered ronins, you are free to imagine them differently however you like!

Sit down, young one, and I’ll tell you of the legend of the Sword that Cuts the Heavens.

Once upon a time, there was an orphan. An orphan who left the village they were born in to learn to be a warrior, a wielder of a forbidden demonic art. 

But they soon became weary of the constant bloodlust that threatened to devour their mind. And so they left their teacher and wandered across the lands, carving a bloody path out. It was only when they met a young child that they decided to be something more than a mindless killer. And lo and behold, the emperor himself appeared before them and commanded them to embark on a quest to save everyone. The orphan would no longer be a sword that cut down innocents but one that would cut down evil and pierce the heavens. 

And with a swing of their mighty katana, the demons fell. Some say that they were banished outright forever, never to terrify the lands of Hyuga again. Others said that the denizens of hell were never truly vanquished, merely waiting for their chance to rise and destroy again, another step in the cycle between peace and turmoil.

Though told many times, the story always starts the same: Once upon a time, there was an orphan. Who became a warrior, then a ronin, then a bodyguard, a friend, a shogi player, an investigator, a politician, and a savior. Who found a shugenja, a ninja, a street brawler, a doctor, and an old lover. And together, they brought down the largest threat known to their home. All this from an orphan who picked up a sword to change their life but ended up changing the fate of the world with it.

One night, many stars. One choice, many paths. One beginning but many endings to this legend, stretching over the horizon as far as possibilities can reach. 

So, my child, which ending would you like to hear?


	2. Masashi

**Masashi Hashimoto, the People’s Champion**

After the defeat of the demons that plagued Hyuga, the ronin and their friends quickly moved to bring about an era of peace. Masashi grew into one of the Empire’s top officials, drawing on his experiences from traveling with the ronin to advise the Emperor on rooting out corruption and enacting sweeping reforms across the country. The people were suspicious of why a nobleman of one of the most powerful families would bother to improve their lives, but they were won over by his tireless dedication, his pursuit of justice, and most of all, his empathy and kindness. For the rest of his life, every year he would take some time off to retrace the journey he took long ago as a boy and revisit the cities and villages, waving at the people who came out to greet him and refusing any gift they offered but their smiles and conversations (and any sweets they happened to have on hand). 


	3. Ronin

**Ronin, the Sword that Cuts the Heavens **

After their travels across Hyuga to slay its demons and save its people, the ronin disappeared. They were said to have been spotted visiting the places they came across along their journey - they were last seen reported making their way across the plains in the northlands. After that, the ronin disappeared. Some say they lived on to teach young orphans the way of the blade, and how to fight for justice and for the people they loved - others said they laid themselves to rest, the last victim of their katana their own self. No matter what, most people agree that the legendary ronin spent the rest of their life in their childhood dojo, whether that time spanned minutes in the darkness alone, or decades spent surrounded by light and life and laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by DragonladyNatz. Check out her other SoH fic featuring 3 chaotic horny ronins, 2 even crazier Junks, and 1 Hyuga to burn down.


	4. Toshio/Ronin

**Ronin, the Sword that Cuts the Heavens**

**Toshio, Ambassador of the Wasure Rareta**

Shortly after the ronin exorcised the Fallen One and brought peace to the lands, she married her love Toshio in a small, intimate wedding attended by friends and family. Emperor Satsuma was seen by the side of his most loyal friend with a knowing smile on his face and an old woman toasted the happy couple, cheering, “I knew dhat dhese two would get tah-gether! Now how ‘bout some children?!” To everyone but the ronin’s surprise, Toshio announced his resignation as the Emperor’s right-hand man to take on a new position—as a court ambassador representing the Kondos. Though the ronin swore never to participate in politics again after a certain campaign in Hokusei, nevertheless she pledged her support to Toshio’s efforts to improving the relations between his people and Hyugans. And with the backing of the Sword that Cuts the Heavens and the Emperor himself, the Wasure Rareta made the first steps to being remembered and recognized in Hyuga.


	5. Jun/Ronin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 4. PLEASE DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED IT YET.

**Ronin, the Sword that Cuts the Heavens**

**Jun Uesugi, Unsevered Thread**

When everyone celebrated the end of the final battle, Jun and the ronin said their farewells and quietly disappeared to the north. They retired to their old childhood dojo, greeted by the sight of dozens of flowering trees. With their scars as the only reminder of the pasts behind them, the two were very happy together, with Jun telling whoever visited that he didn’t mind his missing arm as it was a small price to pay to keep his promise to his beloved. Occasionally, the sound of children’s laughter and the smell of apple blossoms would drift down from the mountains where the ronin and Jun lived out their days in peace and love.


	6. Momoko/Ronin

**Ronin, the Sword that Cuts the Heavens**

**Momoko Hayami, Worker of Miracles**

Momoko published her mentor Matsuyo Fujii’s research and continued to work extensively on treating opium addiction and developing safer drugs. Her writings were so valuable that when Hyuga opened its borders to outsiders, one of the first items foreign emissaries requested was a copy of her medical treatises. She also opened her own clinic, where people of all statuses and backgrounds came to be treated. Momoko’s beauty, compassion, and ability to cure seemingly impossible cases earned her the nickname “the Angel of Medicine”. She was assisted by her beloved spouse, the ronin, who learned to grind medicines, sew injuries, and write prescriptions. Not many words were exchanged between them—nor were they needed. Patients recalled that the looks and quiet affections they gave each other were enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (@ Book 5 and Devon, please let Momoko be ok and rightfully be the doctor that everyone is awe of)


	7. Hatch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains spoilers for end of book 3.

**Hatch, Stalwart Brother**

General “Shatao” continued to reform the Shima barracks and drill the true meaning of bushido into the soldiers under his command. Within two years, he announced his retirement and proclaimed Kohaku as his successor, allowing Hachirobei to finally take off the helmet and return home. In Jijinto, his first task was rebuilding the dojo to its former glory. Though thugs and hoodlums jeered at the run-down building, Hatch convinced them to turn their hands to holding construction tools rather than weapons. With their help, Hatch was able to open the newly renovated Raijingu Dojo; the first class was his brothers in the streets, who swore not to use their fists for violence but for protecting the weak. The  _ Ken-Raijingu _ style is still practiced to this day, where classes are led by Hatch’s grandson who wears a tattered old red headband around his arm. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "There is strength in kindness." - Anonymous


	8. Kohaku (female)

**Kohaku Nanbu, Justice Rider**

Times of great change came to Hyuga. When the Emperor was deciding how to best address the turmoil, Kohaku stepped forward and asked for permission to form a new order of samurai, made up of those that shared Kohaku’s same devotion to true, original bushido—not the corrupted form in the past that had preyed on the weak and helpless. These riders would carry the banner of the Lion and bring swift justice to whatever troubled area they rode to. Kohaku soon gained a reputation for making the most and longest patrols and resolving more conflicts than anyone else in her order. However, she would always return back to Shima every year on a certain date. On that day, she would ride out to a small grave beneath a willow tree to offer incense and pray for hours. When questioned upon her return where she had been, she would faintly smile and reply, “I was visiting Isamu. I wanted to let him know how our dream was doing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Here's Kohaku's happy ending! She gets to serve justice over Hyuga and be the samurai she's always dream-
> 
> Everyone in the SoH Discord: KOHAKU AND THE POWER RANGERS


	9. Toshie

**Toshie, the Shadow’s Reach**

Toshie continued to serve as Emperor Satsuma’s right hand, utilizing her spy network to stop insurrection plots and provide for the Kondo community. Her work was instrumental in rebuilding and maintaining peace and trust in Hyuga, paying particular attention to the outcasts and the poor. Toshie might have been called the “Heartless Hound” but the title was overshadowed by ballads of the kunoichi’s quiet heroism and unmatched intelligence. Future generations of Kondo and Hyugan children alike saw Toshie as an example of how one could rise from lowly origins to triumph over fear and hatred and change the world. Later on, these tales were collected and published as “The Song of the Swan”—said to be Hyuga’s first detective story. 


	10. Momoko

**Momoko Hayami, Budding Blossoms**

Though the war was over, the land and its people were still scarred by its horrors. It was obvious that more doctors would be needed to help heal Hyuga. Momoko remembered the ronin’s words said on the Tetsuzan bridge long ago and wanted to support other women the way her mentor had when she first started studying medicine. This, she promised, would be her atonement. Upon hearing this, Masashi pledged the Hashimoto’s considerable gold to fund her dream and her friends offered to help where they could. She opened and became the headmaster of one of the first medical academies in Hyuga, welcoming all regardless of gender or status. Students studied and developed new techniques and medicines from the library’s extensive collection of medical texts (many written by Momoko herself) and the greenhouse’s vast array of plants. After her passing, it became a tradition to offer flowers to the school’s statue of a sika deer for good luck on exams.


	11. Masami/Ronin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Masami in this epilogue is depicted of age.

**Masami Hashimoto, Worldly Scholar**

**Ronin, Wandering Blade**

After the final battle, the ronin sailed off to new lands, but not without promising to take their former charge with them. Masami had learned all she could in Hyuga and jumped at the chance to study abroad as part of an ambitious new exchange program. The two were inseparable in their travels and relied on each other to get themselves out of trouble as much as they found themselves in it. The years went on, building further on the trust and love between the ronin and the shugenja until their bond was sealed with a pair of rings. Some say their union was fated to be—others argued that seeing how much Masami grew and matured was what caused the ronin to propose. No one (and perhaps not even themselves) knew where their next adventure would be, but the letters and trinkets they sent back to their friends and family promised fulfillment and happiness. 


	12. Satsuma/Ronin

**Satsuma, Dream Maker **

**Ronin, Wandering Blade**

  
The season of demons passed and the people celebrated another coming of the harvest moon, grateful to be alive and among loved ones. In an unprecedented show, Satsuma announced that he would break off his marriage to Amaterasu of the Hashimotos and abdicate the throne. Within a few days of this proclamation, he suddenly disappeared. No one knew where he went, not even Toshie (or perhaps she declined to answer, a final request from the man she respected the most). The ronin searched for many months for Satsuma, almost giving up hope until she stumbled upon small wooden figurines sitting by  _ Jizo _ statues along the road. She followed the trail until it ended at a hut in a village whose name was long forgotten by mapmakers. There, the ronin found Satsuma who had been living as a humble carpenter. He confessed that when he wasn’t building furniture or fixing houses, he liked to carve toys for the village children in his spare time. From then on, the ronin stayed with Satsuma and made a quiet living with his woodworking and toy-making skills. The most popular of his creations was a doll of a sword wielder, who strangely resembled his new wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to @darappi, the only Satsu-mancer in this house (their SoH art on Tumblr has inspired me so much, go check it out!)
> 
> I'm crying.... they also drew for this chapter too :')  
https://darappi.tumblr.com/post/188038046160/im-sorry-im-ugly-sobbing-as-the-only


	13. Emperor Satsuma

**Satsuma, the Lion’s Roar**

The tumultuous year in Hyuga ended in a lavish and joyful wedding ceremony and the Young Lion promised to be a ruler like no other. Satsuma announced he would bring forth new changes to the government, ones inspired by novel ideologies from distant shores (rumors whispered that these ideas were brought by a white fox in his dreams). Obviously, he faced many difficulties from the existing nobility and military factions, but the popular support of his subjects and the sound advice of the ronin and his friends allowed him to shoulder on. Many historians and bards told various accounts of how Satsuma ushered in prosperity and peace—and loved his wife Amaterasu above all else. If you visit the old Imperial Palace today, you may see a giant carving of a wooden lion standing guard at the gates, proudly roaring his welcome. 


	14. Kohaku (male)/Ronin

**Kohaku Nanbu, Sentinel of the Plains**

**Ronin, The Sword that Cuts the Heavens**

Kohaku finally returned home to the family ranch and formally became the head of the Nanbu clan. He was accompanied hand-in-hand by the ronin, who finally gave him the answer to his question long ago in Tanimura. Though opposites in many ways, the couple shared the same strive for justice and responsibility for their people. Troubles on the western frontier were soon no match for their combined fighting prowess, where Kohaku’s discipline and techniques were completed nicely by the ronin’s creativity and skill. The ranch was also perfect for the ronin’s untamed heart, for she would delight in dueling at sunrise with her husband or racing him on horseback through endless fields of grass. Years later, while cradling their sleeping child, Kohaku asked what made the ronin accept his proposal. She answered, “Your heart. It taught me that how we are born should never stop us from becoming the best that we can.”


	15. Harem/Ronin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Am I actually doing this
> 
> Me, at 6am: GUESS I'M DOING THIS

**Harem **

The ronin gets all the guys and gals that they want. They hold hands and smooch. Sometimes they have sex. 

“Oh, Ronin! You’re so dashing!” all the members of the harem swoon.

“I can’t help it that everyone wants me,” says the ronin. Their hair flows out dramatically behind them. Their kimono is open and showing off their muscles and body. 

Somehow, this strange arrangement works. The harem members are able to put aside their differences and not kill each other (most of the time) so that they can spend time with their favorite ronin. Everyone is happy. The end. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who asked for it.
> 
> You know who you are.
> 
> >:(


End file.
